


Pulling No Punches

by tansybells



Series: Flayn Week 2020 [6]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Antagonism, Face Punching, Flayn Can Go A Little Feral (As A Treat), Flayn Week (Fire Emblem), Gen, Give Flayn Wholesome Interactions Intsys, Healing, Linhardt Suggests Having Children For Science, Marriage Proposal, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Re-writing Flayn and Linhardt's A Support, Spoilers for Flayn and Linhardt's A Support
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:28:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25293964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tansybells/pseuds/tansybells
Summary: Flayn would like to think, upon retrospect, that she reacted to Linhardt's proposal in a very temperate and mature way. Linhardt himself would most likely disagree, if his black eye is anything to go by, but Flayn will continue to think so anyway.Day Six: Healing
Relationships: Flayn & Linhardt von Hevring
Series: Flayn Week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824445
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	Pulling No Punches

Flayn could not believe her ears.

Linhardt stood before her, his mouth moving, but no words that had any sort of rational explanation came out.

“It would be a worthy experiment,” he said, surprisingly enthused for such a lethargic young man, “and we'd need only five or so children for a good sample size.”

“Um,” Flayn interrupted his tirade, holding a hand up to halt his flow of thought, “do you mind going back to what you mentioned earlier?”

“Pardon?” Linhardt blinked, apparently surprised by her lack of immediate agreement. “Which part?”

Which part?  _ Which part?  _ Flayn found herself growing increasingly frustrated with his presumptuousness, and she set her hands firmly on her hips. “The part about marrying and having children!” she explained, perhaps a bit more forcefully than she had initially intended. Unfortunately, Linhardt’s expression barely changed, and she had the feeling that he still did not understand what part of his proposal troubled her soul.

“I have always believed, _rather firmly,_ ” she elaborated further when it became clear that he did not know how to approach her concerns, “that marriage is something between two people who love one another.”

Linhardt shrugged. “I like you well enough to advance a field of study to previously unknown heights.” He met Flayn’s eyes, his expression warping as though he was almost considering a smile. “How do you feel about it?” 

Flayn could not believe he actually expected her to take him seriously! Marriage was a precious sacrament between two people who wished to be together forever, who wished to have their relationship acknowledged and consecrated by the church and government alike. It was not—she felt the need to reiterate her stance on the matter once again— _ not  _ a means of scientific discovery! And what was more, she realized as pure rage and adrenaline began surging through her body, as a breeze picked up around her feet and ruffled the fabric of her skirt, it was  _ not  _ appropriate for him to propose merely for the sake of procreation!

“I cannot believe you would have the audacity to suggest such a thing,” she said, appropriately scandalized. “I know that it has been several years since you last interacted with a young lady, Linhardt von Hevring, but that is not an excuse for such impropriety!” The wind kicked up as she became more and more frustrated with the situation at hand, and soon enough, Flayn became aware of the fact that she was the direct cause of the wind, she was just that angry.

Her petticoats fluffed up around her as she wordlessly directed the wind to lift her from the ground; she floated up to hover at Linhardt’s eye level. Without a moment of hesitation, she drew her arm back and let her fist fly.

Her knuckles connected with the bone of Linhardt’s eye socket with a stomach-turning—yet secretly satisfying— _ crunch.  _ Linhardt cried out in pain and fell back; Flayn dropped to the ground nearby as her spell dissipated and she wrung her hand.

“Do not bring up such a topic again,” Flayn said as she got back up on her feet and crossed her arms over her chest. Linhardt looked up at her wordlessly, one hand cupping the eye that she had punched. Flayn hoped that the look in his one remaining eye was one of fear. Oooh, or intimidation! She hoped that she looked incredibly intimidating as she towered up above him. “I do not appreciate being spoken to in such a brazen and inappropriate manner. And if I ever  _ do  _ find myself with the desire to have children of my own, you may rest assured in the knowledge that it shall not be with you!”

Linhardt’s jaw dropped in the face of her unprecedented anger, but Flayn did not subject herself to his presence for much longer. Instead, she spun around on the toe of her shoe and stormed away.

She could not remember the last time she had been so irate, and she was still unsure as to whether she actually liked the feeling or not. Either way, she needed to get out of his presence and do something pleasant. Fishing sounded nice.

+++

The next day, Linhardt showed up for lunch in the dining hall with a shining black eye. Blue and purple tones mottled the skin around his eye, and from afar, it appeared to be so swollen that he could not open it at all. Flayn realized with a sinking heart that his wound was ubiquitously her fault, and as their eyes met, her face rapidly began to heat up with shame.

She could not believe that she had become so inflamed so as to rise up and punch him in the face. Yet, at the same time, even the  _ memory _ of the way he had spoken to her the afternoon before still threatened to anger her. He had disrespected her. Not only that, but he had disrespected the precious, loving bond that connected her mother and father even in death! To think that she would acquiesce to producing children with Linhardt just for the purpose of fulfilling his sick curiosity!

She wished for nothing more than to retch at the thought, but she had so far enjoyed the grilled herring that had been provided for her lunch. She did not think it would be half so pleasant were it to come back up.

Ferdinand rose from his seat to greet their classmate, and clapping his hand on Linhardt’s back, he said something. Flayn did not pay attention, as she hurriedly dragged her eyes back to the plate of food before her. They were undoubtedly conversing regarding the fate of Linhardt’s eye, and she did not want to appear so interested in his state that guilt would quickly be shifted her way.

Then, a disturbing thought descended upon her. Linhardt was notoriously lazy, so lazy that he did not even speak unless it was absolutely necessary. Thus, it would stand to reason that he would not bother to lie. So if he told the truth, if he began to circulate his account of the events which had led to her punching him— _ if Seteth heard that a comrade had approached her with a request to procreate _ —her life would be over. She would be forever sequestered away, never to be seen again by anyone from this generation—or even the next!

She could not abide the thought.

“Linhardt!” Flayn stood up, a loud  _ screech _ echoing through the dining hall as her chair moved behind her. “Linhardt, I would like to speak with you!”

For someone so continuously sleepy, Linhardt was surprisingly fleet of foot. His green robes fluttered as he slunk out from the dining hall. Leaping over the table, narrowly dodging Annette’s head, Flayn followed after him. “Linhardt! Wait! I must speak with you!”

“Stay away from me,” Linhardt called over his shoulder. “I don’t want to talk with you. You  _ punched  _ me!”

“I was fully vindicated in my choice to punch you!” Flayn insisted. “You wanted my womb for science, and that was awful of you! But—but let me heal you! I will heal your black eye!”

“I can heal myself!” Linhardt replied, more breathlessly than before. “I am just as proficient in white magic as you!”

“I am trying to apologize! We must continue to work together, after all, and there should be no hard feelings between us!” She did not  _ want _ to apologize. But nor did she wish to risk having her misdoings reported to her father, who would undoubtedly begin to ask questions should he witness the shining bruise over Linhardt’s eye. “Please, Linhardt! Let me do this for you!”

“No!” In the blink of an eye, Linhardt disappeared into a room and closed the door behind him. Flayn immediately tried the door as soon as she reached it, only to find that he had locked it. She stomped her foot on the ground in frustration. He had escaped her. It simply would not do!

She could not risk having her freedom taken away!

  
+++

  
The rest of the day followed in much a similar fashion. Linhardt fled, and Flayn pursued. She could not give up the chase! But soon, the day drew to a close, and Linhardt ultimately closed himself up in his bedroom for the night.

While this may have deterred anyone with lesser conviction, Flayn could not be shaken off of his trail. She refused to give up!

So, she only did the next obvious thing in her ultimate plan to heal Linhardt’s black eye: she snuck into his room later that night.

She would never admit to anyone how she did it. She knew Seteth would never allow her to go anywhere near a male ever again as long as she lived if he ever found out about it—so when she took his keys to the dormitory once he had fallen asleep and used them to let herself into Linhardt’s room, she knew that there was no going back.

His room was cluttered, much as she expected it to be. He slept amongst a treasure trove of books, his mattress bending beneath the weight of the numerous tomes. Flayn held her breath as she tip-toed around the piles of books that were scattered across the floor of his dorm room, and did not let it go until she stood by his pillow.

Flayn held her hands out over Linhardt’s head and allowed a metered amount of her magic to flow from her spirit and onto him. Her magic, white in color and shining like the stars above, gently sparked as it sank into his skin.

Before her very eyes, the great discoloration that surrounded Linhardt’s eye began to return to a normal color, and Flayn sighed in relief.

She allowed herself to relax too soon.

Linhardt’s eyes, blue and deep as the ocean, lazily fluttered open.

Flayn froze, her hands outstretched, her breath catching in her chest.

“Did you change your mind about the experiment?” Linhardt asked, his sleepy mumble barely audible. “Do you want to investigate these Crests with me after all?”

Taking a deep breath, Flayn closed her eyes. “I believe,” she said through grit teeth, “that I have made my stance regarding your proposal  _ aboundingly  _ clear, Linhardt.”

“Yes, but have you considered—"

Flayn punched him in the face again.

**Author's Note:**

> [Sydney](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowGirl/works) and I were talking about Nabatean Ferdinand and Linhardt last night, and somehow, this fic was born. Linhardt's support with Flayn always hit me as, um, not great. I can't believe Flayn doesn't at least know _something_ about Stranger Danger, not with Overprotective Dragon Man as her father! 
> 
> Once again, my gratitude to the great and magnaminous [Lily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blooming_Spiderlily/pseuds/Blooming_Spiderlily) for her beta work. If you want to see more Flayn-based content, be sure to check out the [Flayn Week Twitter!](https://twitter.com/flaynweek)
> 
> That's it for me today! See you for tomorrow's prompt! ❤︎


End file.
